Obama backs amendment to overturn Citizens United ruling

WASHINGTON — US President Barack Obama called for a constitutional amendment to overturn a Supreme Court ruling that made it easier for businesses to influence elections through large-scale donations.

“Money has always been a factor in politics, but we are seeing something new in the no-holds barred flow of seven- and eight-figure checks, most undisclosed,” to partisan political groups, Obama said during a chat on social news website Reddit.

The groups, known as Super PACs, “threaten to overwhelm the political process over the long run and drown out the voices of ordinary citizens,” added the president, who spoke out strongly against the court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling.

In the decision, the high court granted businesses and unions the right to make direct, unlimited and anonymous contributions to election campaigns.

The court ruled the issue was protected under the constitutional amendment that guarantees free speech.

Obama has urged Congress to vote to force Super PACs to reveal the names of their donors, but a related measure has so far been blocked.